The front courtyard was clean, but the back courtyard was filled with fallen snow.
A thick layer covered the ground, rooftops, treetops, and the withered flowers and plants.
Underneath a locust tree weighed down by snow, a young girl was hanging.
The girl was only wearing a bare midriff top and a thin pair of underwear on her lower body.
Her bare feet were buried in the snow.
The exposed skin on her neck, shoulders, and legs were red, blue, and purple from the cold.
Her hands were tightly bound by a hemp rope and hung on the tree.
Her head hung motionless as if she had already lost her breath.
Jiang Ning rushed forward, took off his cloak, wrapped her body, and tried to untie the hemp rope at the same time.
A light laughter came from the house: âPrincess Consort, donât waste your strength. Thatâs an ox-hide rope, and the knot is very special. You canât untie it.â
Jiang Ning slightly hesitated, turned around, and shouted with all his strength, âGucheng!â
A black shadow, like a hawk, fell straight down from the roof. A cold light flashed in its hand.
Hand raised, knife fell.
The ox-hide rope broke with a snap.
Gucheng then carried Xiachu in his arms.
Jiang Ning said to him, âTake Xiachu to the carriage.â
Gucheng stood still without moving.
Jiang Ning continued, âThe carriage is at the door, and itâs warm inside. I believe that with your speed, you will be back soon. Besides, that kidâs target is me. He wonât kill me, and he dares not.â
After some thought, Gucheng quickly took Xiachu away.
In the blink of an eye, he returned to Jiang Ningâs side.
Jiang Ning marveled at his speed.
A voice came from inside again: âPrincess Consort, arenât you coming in? Since youâve come this far, it wouldnât make sense not to meet, now would it?â
Jiang Ning coldly replied, âYouâve kidnapped my maid. This matter naturally cannot be easily settled.â
âYou mustnât get angry, Princess Consort. I have nothing but admiration for you, and I havenât mistreated your maid. I was left with no choice â how else could I have met you alone? But, you did not listen. You promised to come alone, so why did you bring a man along?â
Jiang Ning looked around the mansion and said, âSuch a pity.â
âWhatâs a pity?â
âThis exquisite and elegant mansion must have taken its former owner a great deal of effort to build. And now, itâs about to be destroyed, which is a real shame.â
âIf the Princess Consort likes it, this mansion can exist forever.â
A strange sound came from the room, mixed with a low weeping of a woman.
Jiang Ning frowned and glanced at Gucheng.
Gucheng said, âThree people.â
He meant that there were three people in the room.
Jiang Ning asked, âWhat about the surroundings?â
Gucheng remained silent for a moment and said, âAround fourteen or fifteen people.â
âAre they all skilled in martial arts? If you canât beat them, weâll leave now. A wise man knows when to quit.â Jiang Ning whispered.
Gucheng then thought about it and said three words: âNo problem. Go.â
Jiang Ningâs heart sank immediately.
She raised her foot and kicked the door open with one kick.
A warm fragrance of rouge and powder greeted them, causing Yun Dai to cough.
Gucheng remained expressionless but silently pulled the scarf around his neck over his mouth and nose.
There was a folding screen behind the door, with a pile of clothes hanging on it in disarray.
Jiang Ning didnât bother going around it, instead, she kicked the folding screen down.
A large bed came into view.
It was so large that, aside from a small section separated by the folding screen, the spacious room was filled with the bed.
The moment she saw this bed, Jiang Ning finally admitted to herself that she was a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.